Volume 52

Thank you for purchasing the 52nd volume of Gintama!

This December, I celebrated the tenth anniversary of the serialization of the work, all thanks to your support. Leaving aside how such a manga can continue to be published for ten years, I am surprised at how quickly time passes. In ten years, a reader who was in primary schools at the time of the first release might have started working. Well, to shake things up, I forced him to go to work after middle school, making him drop out of school. In any case, in ten years teenagers become adults for real, so it’s natural that there are new kids who come to work and others who drop out. Maybe the one who started working after middle school now reads “Champ Road” magazine*, and reading Gintama is a very sad memory for him. Anyway, this is really a manga for young people, in my opinion. When they look back on their teenage years, if they look back nostalgically at the fact that “Jump” published such an absurd comic, it will have been worth it for ten years. I’ve been thinking about all these things on the occasion of the tenth anniversary, which is an important milestone… But deep down I can say I’ve never really thought about them, especially looking at the statement of royalty payments I’ve received over the last two decades.

*Car and motorbike magazine aimed at a target audience of “bullies”.

CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 160

QUESTION FROM MR. AWAKI, KANAGAWA PROVINCE

Good morning, Sorachi sensei! There’s something I always wonder about, and I will address you without hesitation. Nobume’s sword is longer than the others’, isn’t it? If it’s my impression, I apologize.

ANSWER:

Nobume’s sword is indeed long, and what’s more…

As you can see in the picture, the scabbard contains both a short and a long sword. That’s why it looks exaggeratedly long.

RESULTS OF THE TALLY BY MR. “IT TOOK ME THREE MONTHS TO GET THERE”.

I counted what I consider to be dirty jokes in the first fifty volumes of Gintama.

These results are formidable. Congratulations on doing this research! The number 1920 even makes you want to join hands in prayer, as if you’ve seen something venerable. And yet we are still talking about poo and penis.

CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 161

QUESTION BY MR. TOYOZAKI PAN OF AICHI PROVINCE

Sorachi sensei! When you draw a face, do you start with the eyes or the outline of the oval?

ANSWER:

Basically I start with the eyes. The eyes are the most important expressive feature of the face. So I first draw the expression, or rather the feelings of the character, then the rest of the face and the body, making them theatrical. If you start drawing from the oval or the body it is easier to make the character balanced as a whole, but then the expressions you can apply to them are limited. That’s why I think it’s better to choose what to start with depending on what element you want to highlight and convey to the readers.

CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 162

QUESTION FROM MR. “I’VE BEEN TOTALLY OUT OF SYNC SINCE I ENROLLED IN UNIVERSITY”, FROM THE PROVINCE OF HYOGO

Good morning, Sorachi sensei! I went to see the movie the day it came out. I really enjoyed watching it. When my exams are over, I’ll go see it again. By the way, a question came to mind: did you also see the Gintama movie in the cinema, Sorachi sensei? (I’d also like to know how it went when Shinyaku Benizakura-hen came out. Please answer me!)

ANSWER:

I went to the movies because my assistants suggested that we all go see it together, but I went home after seeing the movie Monster University. Since that was the case, I didn’t see it again after the private screening for insiders. I want to see the audience’s reaction, but I am full of regrets. I always think it would have been better to make the film in another way, so I don’t feel like going into the theatre. Just like when Shinyaku Benizakura-hen came out…

CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 163

QUESTION FROM MISS TSUKANATSU, IBARAKI PROVINCE

Good morning, Sorachi sensei! I look forward to reading Gintama every time. I’d like to ask your advice on something. Having seen that the senpai who always greets me enthusiastically has hair coming out of his nose, should I tell him clearly? The next day I met him again, and this time there was a booger attached to his nose hair. Since he is my senpai, I have a hard time telling him. Sensei, you are my senpai of life experiences. Let me know what I should do!

ANSWER:

In those moments, try to put yourself in his shoes. What would you do if one of your kohai told you that your nose hairs were coming out, and on top of that there was a booger dangling like Tarzan on vines? No matter how good-tempered Senpai Tarzan may be, he would end up bursting into tears that evening as he looked in the direction of his native jungle while sitting on a veranda in the metropolis. Of course, overriding his pride has the advantage of putting an end to the booger swings and making Tarzan disappear from sight. But truthfully, once discovered by one of his kohai, his identity as a jungle boy would become apparent to all his friends and classmates, as he would be screaming from the first hour of class until after school. So, in case you’re on the fence about telling him or not, thinking of his own good, I don’t think you can do anything for your senpai. Telling him is more up to his close friends than you. At this point you could become his jungle and watch over him with affection, booger included. Let the Tarzan booger swing all he wants.

That said, the special 52nd volume of the 10th anniversary ends here. Given the occasion, I’m thinking of animating the work with some flashy gimmicks, so keep this stupid manga company for a while longer, and don’t abandon it. Just think, since the movie has already been made, the work is almost finished. It’s still too early for you to read “Champ Road”. A stupid manga will suit you better.

New topic: “If I remember correctly, even around volume 30 he said the same thing.”

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